Love Fruit Orchard (Yuanli Township Farmers' Association) Introduction
In Europe, tomatoes are known by the nickname "LOVE APPLE." This is because when ripe, their flowers bloom in pairs, red and connected like a couple, hence the romantic title of "love fruit." The greenhouse here primarily focuses on cultivating love fruits, leading to the naming of the "Love Fruit Orchard," hoping that such a romantic name can bring visitors an atmosphere of romance and memorable experiences when promoting the orchard. The type of greenhouse used in the Love Fruit Orchard was specifically chosen from many greenhouse designs. Considering the seasonal variations in Taiwan, typical greenhouses can gather heat in the summer, which can make fruiting difficult for indoor crops, especially tomatoes. Therefore, in the initial selection of greenhouse design, we sought a structure that could provide cooling and facilitate heat dissipation, eventually choosing a roof that can be rolled up. The roof design allows the entire plastic cover to roll up to the center, leaving only a fine mesh on top when opened. This prevents heat from accumulating indoors, maintaining a temperature difference of about two degrees between the inside and outside. Additionally, exhaust fans are installed to quickly control the temperature if heat circulation inside is not optimal. At the beginning of the design of the Love Fruit Orchard, this was the first attempt at greenhouse cultivation, with hopes of achieving organic cultivation principles. However, it was found that while the greenhouse environment could block many pests, it could not prevent the occurrence of toxic diseases, leading to significant losses in the early stages of cultivation. Fortunately, our advisor, Zheng Nianjun, worked diligently in this area, continuously visiting and learning greenhouse planting techniques to strengthen the cultivation experience at Love Fruit Orchard. I still remember that the first year of managing the orchard was extremely challenging, with unrefined techniques and a lack of recognition from colleagues, as well as facing criticism from representatives for establishing this unprofitable business, which was truly adding insult to injury. Fortunately, today, the Love Fruit Orchard is now profitable, sufficient to support its operations and management, and the years of hard work have finally yielded some achievements. Currently, in addition to tourism fruit picking, the marketing of Love Fruit Orchard products is also combined with several organic health stores, supplying organic product specialty stores in Taichung and nearby areas because no pesticides are used during the fruit picking season. Moreover, the romantic name "Love Fruit Orchard" and the fresh fruit-picking experience have already become one of the most recognized representatives of leisure agriculture in Central Taiwan, making it an ideal place for group outings and multi-generational family activities. The greenhouse cultivation and fruit-picking experience at Love Fruit Orchard have also become the best venue for agricultural experience outdoor teaching for many kindergartens and elementary schools. We welcome everyone to come and experience it for themselves!
